sorcha, perhaps it was just co-incidence that it came back when it did...

As you probably have noticed, I changed the location of the annexe as a temporary measure because of a similar sounding problem. Neither Pip or I could access jonbanjo.com using freeserve on our computers. I could however access it using an alternative dial up account.

The problem was there for a few days and then resolved itself. There was no change of configuration on either computer during that period. I can only assume that freeserve for reasons unkown (there was no question of a domain name expiring) to me lost the DNS details for jonbanjo.com during one update and getting re-instated on another.

John, one problem I have had with email is that Outlook Express caches IP addresses. We went through a server change at jonbanjo.com. I set the new email accounts up with new passwords thinking that when the DNS changes went through, my old passwords would get rejected. As it happened, this box managed to run about 3 weeks without me rebooting. It was only after that reboot that I got the old passwords rejected (I guess the old account on the other server must still have existed), I changed them and then got a load of email including payment due followed by a late payment notice from the ISP I use for web hosting. I emailed them apologising and explaining why the payment had been late and they replied that I wasn't the only customer who had got caught out by the behaviour of OE.

I did find a plus side to OEs ways with the Annexe problem mentioned above BTW. Even though freeserve refused to recognise jonbanjo.com, I realised that all I had to do was close IE, connect using my "emergency" (and pay per minute) ISP, open OE, and check my emails. Once done, I could close that connection and dial up on my flat monthly rate 24/7 connection.